Justice News

Navajo Man Sentenced to 80 Months for Assaulting Two Navajo Men

ALBUQUERQUE – Clayton Norvelle Scott, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced this morning in Albuquerque, N.M., to 80 months in prison for his assault conviction. He will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Scott was arrested on July 10, 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the complaint, on Aug. 16, 2014, Scott assaulted two Navajo men with a knife, requiring the two victims to get medical treatment that included numerous stitches.

Scott was subsequently indicted on July 30, 2015, and charged with two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

On Oct. 8, 2015, Scott pled guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Scott admitted that on Aug. 16, 2014, he encountered the two victims at a home in Shiprock, and during an argument he swung a knife at the faces of both victims. Scott acknowledged that the injuries he caused to the victims required medical attention and caused the victims to suffer extreme physical pain.

This case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case.